JULY 5, 2014

Lotus to test 18-inch Pirelli tyre

Pirelli will test a much lower-profile tyre during next week's post-British grand prix test at Silverstone.

F1's official tyre supplier, whose public profile has been much lower in 2014 as drivers label its new approach as "conservative", said the 18-inch tyre will "showcase the way that formula one could look in the near future".

The Lotus team will be running the novel tyre design.

"Larger wheel and tyre sizes reflect modern market trends," Pirelli said in a statement.

The current F1 tyres have a 13-inch profile, unlike rival categories like GT, Le Mans and Formula E.